No. 8 Men's Soccer Opens Ivy League Play at Yale

The Game:
After suffering its first loss of the season Sept. 26 at then-No.
3 Wake Forest, the eighth-ranked Harvard men’s soccer team
looks to grab its first Ivy League win of the season, as the team
visits Yale Saturday evening. The Crimson stands at 6-1 overall,
while the Bulldogs are 2-3-2 entering the game.

Follow From Home:
Once again, live statistics
will be available for all Harvard home games and most road contests
this season.

The Matchup:
The Crimson went 1-1 last week after defeating New Hampshire, 1-0,
and losing at Wake Forest, 1-0. In the win, Brian Rogers netted the
game’s only goal at 59:59, while Austin Harms made one save
in the loss at Wake Forest.

Harvard and Yale have played 95 times, with the Crimson holding a
commanding 49-36-10 advantage in the series which dates back to
1907. Harvard has won the last three meetings, including a 1-0
victory last year at Ohiri Field on Oct. 4, 2008. In that contest,
Kwaku Nyamekye buried a shot at 58:35 for the game winner. Austin
Harms turned aside two shots for the shutout.
About Harvard:
Andre Akpan, a contender for the Missouri Athletic Club’s
Hermann Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s top
Division I men’s soccer player, has amassed a team-best 16
points on six goals and four assists. Brian Rogers stands second on
the club with four goals and three assists for 11 points, while
Desmond Mitchell (two goals, two assists) and Jamie Rees (two
goals) are tied for third in goals.

Austin Harms boasts a 6-1 record in net with three shutouts and a
0.45 goals-against average. He has faced 25 shots, stopping 22 of
them for a save percentage of .880.

Harvard, which owns a 3-1 record on the road, has outscored
opponents, 16-3 overall, including 7-2 in road contests. The
Crimson has has earned 38 corner kicks, eight more than its
opposition.

About Yale:
The Bulldogs have dropped their last two games to Rhode Island,
2-1, in overtime Sept. 22, and Sacred Heart, 4-0, Sept. 29. Yale
owns a 1-1-1 record at home, having defeated St. Francis (N.Y.),
4-1, back on Sept. 19.

Scott Armbrust has netted a team-best four goals, while Brad Rose
has two goals and three assists for seven points. Armbrust and
Kevin Peterson have accounted for Yale’s game-winning
tallies, and Andy Hackbarth is 1-for-1 on penalty kick chances.
While the Bulldogs have utilized three goalkeepers, Travis Chulick
has seen most of the action and is 2-1-2 with one shutout and a
1.31 goals-against average. He also has 19 saves to his credit.

National Recognition:
With its stellar 6-1 start to the season, the Crimson appears at
No. 8 in the Soccer America national poll, No. 8 in the NSCAA poll,
No. 9 in the College Soccer News ranking, No. 9 in the Soccer Times
poll and No. 18 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll.

Looking For Another School Record:
Andre Akpan has scored 41 goals in his Crimson career, placing him
six tallies behind Chris Ohiri ’64 for the all-time school
record. Akpan already owns the Harvard record for career assists
with 31 and career points with 113.

Defense Wins Games:
Through seven games this season, the Crimson has only surrendered
three goals for a team goals-against average of 0.43. During that
same span, Harvard has totaled 16 goals, or 2.29 per game.

He’s Honored:
For the second time this season, Austin Harms was named Ivy League
Rookie of the Week Sept. 28. Harms recorded his third shutout of
the season last week at New Hampshire Sept. 23 and owns a 6-1
record on the season.

Up Next:
After playing four straight road games, the Crimson returns home
to face Holy Cross Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Ohiri Field. Game time is
set for 3 p.m.